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| Sunday, 8 January 2006 |
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Features |  |
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Fashion
Designer of the year Contest 2005 :
Showcase of immense talent by Rikaza Hassan
As I walked in at 6.30 p.m., expecting of course a late start to the program as is usual, I was surprised to see the day's events starting right at the time specified. The crowd and I included were there to watch the 'Young Fashion Designer of the Year' contest organised by none other than the veteran designer Chula Nanayakkara Ariyaratne. First organised two decades and a year ago, Chula revived the event in celebration of her 50th year as a fashion designer. The ten contestants were selected from a large number of entries published in the Sunday Observer and Daily News newspapers. Named Fashion Designer of the Decade by the Ozlanka website after her fashion show in Sydney early this year, Chula Ariyaratne presented the event in collaboration with the Past Pupils Association of Visakha Vidyalaya, her alma mater, with her close friend Ramzi Rahman taking care of the hair and make up. Chula began her career as a designer when at the age of 12 she dressed a bride in one of her own designs.
The contest itself consisted of the young designers presenting their designs in the categories of casual wear, office wear, saree wear and evening wear. The immense talent of these youngsters fresh to the fashion industry was breathtaking. The fact that I was not a judge, but merely a spectator, was comforting, since it was almost impossible to pick the best out of the endowed pack. As top local models sashayed down the runway in the first category of casual wear, the audience watched spellbound as they were presented with skirts, peasant tops, pants, worked jeans, summer dresses in simple and sweeping cuts, intricate designs and plain cloth. Office wear saw clothes from the straight cut shirt and skirt to flashy, bright costumes for that rich and powerful executive, to more ethnic and chic, cool suits, all formal and oh! so very feminine. The saree wear saw saree blouses inspired from Kandyan, Indian and modern dressing with a twist of their own by the designer, not to mention the various drapes on each model.
From plain, toned to worked sarees in satin and net, there were sarees to fit all tastes with more than just a little away from the ordinary. The black saree with roses affixed by Dinesh Perera was particularly striking in his choice of drape as a flounced skirt with a long skirting shawl coupled with knee high boots. The final category on which the contestants were judged was evening wear. As the final collection to be presented, the ten young designers went overboard with their designs to present ten truly majestic and stirring designs that brought forth much applause from the audience. From motifed and flashy, to worked and Indian, to desert inspired, always in fashion, black to natural to blues and silvers, the ten evening wear pieces were truly remarkable. Highly accessorised, the models themselves seemed to be rooting for their own designer as they walked the ramp in those magnificent clothes. The presentation ceremony saw designers accompanied by their models gracing the stage and finally putting a face to the designs. As the judges finally presented their results, it was time to pick the top three. In third place was Trudi Malalgoda with her sand and glitter two pieced dress. Thirteen-year-old Nishika Samaratunga looked extremely surprised and ecstatic as she was named second place. The teenager confidently walked up to the crowd together with her model as she accepted her award. The winner of the Fashion Designer of the Year 2005 was the very talented Madri Jayasekara, who modeled her own designs at the contest. Chula Ariyaratne herself presented a few of her designs modeled by her old friends and former members of the trade such as Susila Fernando and Angela Seneviratne. From beautiful sarees to modern wear and bridals, the presentations showcased the clear versatility of this expert fashion designer. Local hair maestro Ramzi Rahman presented a Hair Act, keeping the crowd entertained with thumping music and creative hair styles. The Singer Fashion Academy had six instructors present their saree and evening wear designs, modeled by themselves. The Fashion Designer of the Year Contest 2005 was indeed a worthwhile experience that offered the chosen designers a platform to showcase their talent, highlight their creativity and leave all those present amazed at the immense talent of these ten very special people. |
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Ten very excited souls fussed and fretted backstage over the dresses of
their very own design and the models wearing them, as the crowd continued to
pour into the main auditorium of the BMICH on Monday, the 19th of December.
